mudma1999 Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Frost is almost as white as Southern Ice and takes color beautifully. If you don't really want to get into high firing, it's great. Sorry, I don't know much about Cool Ice, but since Les Blakebrough formulated it, I would trust their description of it as white and translucent. I might give it a try and get away from high firing once my supply of SI gets down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 I'am working with Southern Ice for ages now and I'am really satisfied. Never tried the COOL Ice for cone 6, but I'am extremely interested in your experience Mudma. Thanks in advance! Question: can the Southern ICE be ordered again? Here in Switzerland it was out of stock and un-orderable because of a fire in the factory in Australia. Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 The only USA supplier I know of is Seattle Pottery http://www.seattlepotterysupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=sps_ecat&Category_Code=SICE We were not able to get it either for a couple years. The key is to get someone in your area interested in being a supplier because they are definitely producing the clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Frost is almost as white as Southern Ice and takes color beautifully. If you don't really want to get into high firing, it's great. Sorry, I don't know much about Cool Ice, but since Les Blakebrough formulated it, I would trust their description of it as white and translucent. I might give it a try and get away from high firing once my supply of SI gets down. Here we go again. I say Southern Ice is almost as white as Frost and almost as translucent as Frost. I exchanged several emails with the head guy (I forget this name now) at Southern Ice and he told me that Cool Ice is Southern Ice reformulated to mature at cone 6. I bought a sample 50 lbs and tested it very carefully. Like Southern Ice, it is almost as white as Frost but it is not even close to being as translucent as Frost. It has that wonderful creamy feel of Southern Ice and throws just as nicely as Frost. Fired correctly, Frost 6 and Frost 10 are whiter and more translucent than Southern Ice and Cool Ice. Recently, my old college professor (from 1970-71) saw a large bowl of mine at a show. The bowl was cone 6 Frost. He called and said, "Jim, when the ######## did you learn how to throw glass?" Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claypple Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Off the subject: Jim, I like your cup. It reminds me this sculpture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi K Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Heidi, your tumbler looks great! Have you tried Tacoma's ^6 English Grolleg Porcelain? Just wondering how the NZ6 throws compared to that if you have tried it? Min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudma1999 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks for all of the feed back, I may have to stop off at Seattle Pottery and get a few boxes of Cool ice to try. The Big reason I stopped using frost wasn't so much the cracking, which I found was mostly due to the varying thickness between walls and base, it was the poor quality control, I was finding rocks and hard bits through out the clay so I started looking for an alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudma1999 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hey Heidi I love the tumblers, have you tried other porcelains? Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Heidi, your tumbler looks great! Have you tried Tacoma's ^6 English Grolleg Porcelain? Just wondering how the NZ6 throws compared to that if you have tried it? Min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudma1999 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Great tumblers! Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Heidi, your tumbler looks great! Have you tried Tacoma's ^6 English Grolleg Porcelain? Just wondering how the NZ6 throws compared to that if you have tried it? Min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi K Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Heidi, your tumbler looks great! Have you tried Tacoma's ^6 English Grolleg Porcelain? Just wondering how the NZ6 throws compared to that if you have tried it? Min Hi Min, No, I haven't tried the English Grolleg. I'm still in search of my perfect porcelain though, so perhaps I will. I've been using Dove from Seattle Pottery Supply for the past 7ish years, and it's definitely more difficult to throw with than the NZ6, but I hardly ever get any cracking (except for hairline cracks where my handles attach). I don't think I've EVER had an s crack with Dove, and I've had probably 10 in three months with the NZ6 (plus cracking at the base when the thickness there isn't the same as that of the surrounding wall), so there's a definite learning curve. Dove isn't translucent unless you get it REALLY thin, and fired it is much rougher and feels gritty by comparison to NZ6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi K Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hey Heidi I love the tumblers, have you tried other porcelains? Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Heidi, your tumbler looks great! Have you tried Tacoma's ^6 English Grolleg Porcelain? Just wondering how the NZ6 throws compared to that if you have tried it? Min Thanks! When that tumbler came out of the kiln (it was the first in the series), I was so happy with it that it immediately went into my cupboard. The only other porcelain I've tried since setting my own studio up 7ish years ago is the Dove I mentioned in my last post. I never realized I was unhappy with it until I decided I wanted to try something more translucent and bought the NZ6 on a whim. The NZ6 is just worlds easier to throw with and the fired surface is so much nicer than that of Dove that now I'm on a quest to find the perfect combination of workhorse, ease, and beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. That's very translucent. I'm going to have to try it. Nice tumbler, too. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks for all of the feed back, I may have to stop off at Seattle Pottery and get a few boxes of Cool ice to try. The Big reason I stopped using frost wasn't so much the cracking, which I found was mostly due to the varying thickness between walls and base, it was the poor quality control, I was finding rocks and hard bits through out the clay so I started looking for an alternative. You're lucky living near Seattle Pottery. They have so many things that no other pottery supply store stocks. Too bad for me that it is about as far from GA as you can get and still be in the 48 contiguous states, making shipping a killer. If you do a test, you'll definitely see that Cool Ice isn't as translucent as Frost. I'd check out the porcelain Heidi recommends from Tacoma Clay Art. Too bad Laguna's quality control is so bad. I got a bad batch of Frost, too. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Speaking of Tacoma Clay, I tried 500 lbs of their ^6 Glacier porcelain and it was a pleasure to throw, nice clean clay with no foreign debris in it, handles were well behaved etc. So then I ordered a ton, paid trucking, brokerage fees etc and this batch is nothing but problems. Much grayer fired colour, craze problems and absorbancy is really high. I have no means of returning it other than going through the trucking / brokerage hassle again which isn't worth it, so now I have a pile of boxes sitting outside the backdoor. Min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudma1999 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hi Min Where do you live in Canada? I'm just outside Vancouver. I was wondering if anyone has tried CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG, I was very happy with it throwing wise and although not as translucent as Frost it is still translucent when thrown thinly. I have to say it is easier to trim and no cracking. I'm just wondering how it compares to the NZ6. I just want the clay genie to drop down and tell which clay to buy. I'm so tired of bulk buying clay only to fall out of love with it half way though the lot. You have my sympathies Min I'v been there except I didn't pay shipping just gas and a hotel room to go down and pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 2, 2013 Report Share Posted June 2, 2013 Off the subject: Jim, I like your cup. It reminds me this sculpture: Yeap, that's what I was thinking about when I made it. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted June 2, 2013 Report Share Posted June 2, 2013 Off the subject: Jim, I like your cup. It reminds me this sculpture: Yeap, that's what I was thinking about when I made it. Jim That one almost deserves a creepy yellow chuckling face - Min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claypple Posted June 2, 2013 Report Share Posted June 2, 2013 Off the subject: Jim, I like your cup. It reminds me this sculpture: Yeap, that's what I was thinking about when I made it. Jim That one almost deserves a creepy yellow chuckling face - Min What I meant was: The cup by itself is smooth and elegant, and it is surrounded by rough sculptured clay, much like the sculpture I showed. This is how I see it. Again, very nice work Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 2, 2013 Report Share Posted June 2, 2013 Off the subject: Jim, I like your cup. It reminds me this sculpture: Yeap, that's what I was thinking about when I made it. Jim That one almost deserves a creepy yellow chuckling face - Min What I meant was: The cup by itself is smooth and elegant, and it is surrounded by rough sculptured clay, much like the sculpture I showed. This is how I see it. Again, very nice work Jim. Thank you, Claypple. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted June 2, 2013 Report Share Posted June 2, 2013 Thanks Chris! My supplier here in Switzerland replaced the SOUTHERN ICE with "Earthstone MING ES120" Sedgefield Pottery (for example) says: Description: An ancient Chinese formula, extremely white very translucent body. One of the best throwing porcelains with excellent standing properties. Fluxed with a slow acting flux to minimise slumping Intended for cones 7-10. Firing 1220°-1280°C The lower temp could be just a bit higher than cone 6? But the translucency is better at the highest temp, no? Mudma, you could give it a try. Regarding the MING, well, I wasn't aboslutely satisfied with throwing this porcelain clay. I have to find a way to order the ICE again. Greetings from Switzerland Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudma1999 Posted June 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 Hi Heidi I was very excited by the photos and interested to hear about the shrinkage and cracking and of course the translucency. Frost has a high shrinkage as well, cracking is also an issue but I noticed that NZ6 is a better price and looks to be as translucent. How do you find it for trimming, I know with frost I had to sharpen my tools before each trimming. Thanks for the info Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Everyone I'm new and was just wondering if anyone had tried Cool Ice cone 6 porcelain. I am on my way to Clay art In Tacoma to pick up CL129 ENGLISH GROLLEG. I like this clay but find that it is not as white as frost. I have heard that Southern Ice (cone 10 ) is very nice and was wondering if the Cool ice was the same. Any info would be appreciated Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi K Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 Hi Heidi I was very excited by the photos and interested to hear about the shrinkage and cracking and of course the translucency. Frost has a high shrinkage as well, cracking is also an issue but I noticed that NZ6 is a better price and looks to be as translucent. How do you find it for trimming, I know with frost I had to sharpen my tools before each trimming. Thanks for the info Hi mudma (and everyone else), I'm new too. I've never used Frost, though reading posts in here I've been intrigued by it, and plan on trying it soon. (Also, it's good to read the reviews from Jim on Cool Ice and Frost.) You may be interested in another porcelain I just started using recently from Tacoma Clay Art, NZ6. While I'm getting more cracking than I'm used to and it shrinks a whopping 16%, it throws like a dream and is deliciously translucent. Here's a tumbler I made with it a few months ago. Hi Mudma, This is another porcelain that definitely trims better with sharp tools. I often find myself swapping out tools, looking for one in my pile that's a little sharper. Reading all of these posts has made me want to try Frost, since I can get that locally instead of driving an hour to Tacoma. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like if I like NZ6 I'll also like Frost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 Heidi, I think you should definitely try Frost and let us know what you think. That'll save me the trouble of having to try NZ6. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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